Novo links with UK's Kymab in antibody deal

UK group Kymab has entered into an agreement with Danish drug giant Novo Nordisk to discover novel therapeutic antibodies.

The Cambridge-based biopharmaceutical firm has granted Novo a non-exclusive license to its Kymouse human antibody platform to discover, develop and commercialise antibodies to fight human diseases.

Under the terms of the deal, Novo will be able to utilise the Kymouse HK and Kymouse HL transgenic human antibody mouse strains, which, according to Kymab, are able to generate a diverse range of "highly selective, potent, human antibody drug candidates".

Financial specifics of the deal remain under wraps, but Kymab did divulge that the arrangement includes platform licence fees, development milestone payments for drug candidates and royalties on sales of antibodies discovered.

The move fits with Kymab's strategy of broadly partnering its Kymouse platform to maximise its potential, while Novo said the UK firm's technology is "an excellent fit' with its own antibody discovery capabilities.